Socks on the Wall
by Kiiriminna
Summary: Peter is behaving oddly - well, even more oddly than he normally does.


"Can you explain why there's dirty old socks hanging on the wall?"

Peter sighed as he turned to look at Rocket. "Those aren't dirty", he said.

The totally-not-raccoon snorted. "So you say. But why are they there? No more room for them in your cabin?"

"Hey, it's my ship! If I want to hang socks on the wall, then I do, okay!"

Rocket tilted his head. "Bit testy, aren't you?"

Peter rubbed his neck nervously. "Yeah, um… sorry. It's an earth tradition, okay?"

"To hang socks on the wall?"

"Kinda. It's… a long story. Just let them be like that a few days, okay?"

Rocket shrugged. "Like you said, it's your ship", he said as he walked away; when he turned to look back, he saw Peter standing right where he'd left him to, staring the wall with forlorn expression.

* * *

Rocket wasn't one to pay much attention to other people's business, as he really didn't want to give them the idea that he actually _cared_. But after Yondu had called him out of that, he'd started to think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to _sometimes_ let people to think that he did – as long as it wasn't all the time.

So he first tried to take a look if anyone else was having any suspicions about Peter's actions. He soon figured out that Gamora had noticed the socks on the wall and also Peter being little more somber than usually, but so far she just watched, little worried but inclined to give Peter some space. Mantis of course sensed Peter's feelings even though not knowing the cause of them. Drax saw the strange decorations but shrugged them of as an odd tradition, like he did when ever anyone of them acted in a way he couldn't comprehend. Groot did see that Peter wasn't happy, but was more distressed because of the dead plants he'd found hanging from the ceiling on the cockpit (which Rocket had straight away taken down, because even if this was part of Peter's so called traditions, that was no reason to cause distress to Groot). And Kraglin, well… he didn't seem to notice almost anything nowadays, still mourning his past captain (and possible lover, but thinking of that made Rocket feel little squirmy for some odd reason, so he didn't recall it often – other that to tease Peter, who in turn got _very_ squirmy every time it was mentioned).

Finally Rocket came to realization, that Kraglin was exactly the guy he should inquire about this all.

* * *

"Hey, Kraglin!"

The Ravager lifted his eyes from the gun he was cleaning. "Yeah, Rocket?"

"Since you've been knowing Quill little longer than I've, can you tell me if he has any fixation towards the socks?"

Kraglin lifted his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

Rocket shuffled his feet. "If you haven't, then it's probably nothing… but he's hanging socks all around, and Groot just complained to me that there's dead leafs hanging from the ceiling in the cockpit…"

Realization came on Kraglin's face. "Oh… It's that time, already?" When Rocket just stared at him questionably, he told with a tiny smile, "It's some big annual celebration on Terra; something to do with family and all things like that, and some fat old creep dropping in to bring presents while everybody are sleeping… I haven't really asked him a lot about it." His smile got little apoplectic. "We used to tease him about it, at first… at least, before Yondu told us very gravely to either stop it or be stuck in the most unpleasant jobs he could think off for the rest of our lives."

"And that somehow require putting socks on the wall?" Rocket asked incredulously.

Kraglin shrugged. "I think that's where the presents are supposed to appear", he answered.

Rocket thought about that. "Well, have they?"

"What?"

"Presents. Has there ever been any of those in those socks?"

"As far as I know, never. Why do you ask?"

"No reason", Rocket answered, deep in his thoughts.

* * *

Peter was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Christmas morning… At this time he would have been rushing down the stairs, making extra loud sounds so that his mother would woke up without him having to actually go and interrupt her rest, which he knew she needed because she really wasn't well, even though they both tried to act like it wasn't a big deal because as long as they didn't acknowledge it, it would have to go away, that was the rule.

But there were no rules; and mom had died, and Yondu had picked him up, and had then died to safe him, and it made no sense because Yondu hadn't cared about him yet apparently he had, and he'd saved Peter from Ego who now was also dead.

And of course he didn't even know if it was Christmas morning, really; he'd tried to keep count on the days when he was first taken in by Ravagers, but after all this time and with all jumps through the space he'd made, who would know for sure? Calendars didn't really work in space, anyway…

 _This is stupid_ , he thought. _I'm just making myself feel miserable and causing everyone else walking on their toes around me… I'm not child anymore, Santa doesn't deliver in the space, and I've got no family to celebrate Christmas with anyways… Well, family who understands a thing about it,_ he admitted after thinking about his friends, who he now considered his family while Ravagers had only ever been his crew, if even that – expect Yondu, and that he'd only realized when it was already way too late.

Making a frustrated noise, Peter forced himself to rise up and go to take down the socks that he'd hanged on the wall across the door of his cabin. They weren't even stockings, and like Rocket had said, they were old (but not dirty), and there was no reason to keep them hanging on… But once he opened the door and started vehemently rip down the pieces of clothing, he noticed that one of the socks wasn't as empty as he'd thought it to be.

Blinking his eyes, twice, he took the sock in his hand and just held it for a moment before hurriedly pushing his hand in. His fingers met something metallic and pulled it out.

It took him a moment to register what he'd found.

In the palm of his hand was laying a miniature version of the Milano. He looked at it with amaze, taking in all the details. It was made with great craftsmanship, all parts so tiny that only a very little, deft fingers could have managed to put them together.

There was only one person in the ship who owned that kind of fingers.

Peter smiled, feeling his eyes getting little wet. Quickly he picked up rest of the socks and returned to his cabin, his heart swelling up with happy warmness he hadn't felt quite a sometime.

* * *

Sometime later Peter re-exited from his cabin, once again with dry eyes but unable to stop smiling widely as he walked to the kitchen area to meet rest of his crew. He saw Rocket tensing and quickly turning his head of once he walked in, and part of him wanted to go and give his furry friend a big hug, no matter of the consequences that would hold to his health; but he knew that Rocket wouldn't want that, and would get embarrassed and bothered and start to act offensively to protect himself. So he just spread his arms and said to the whole room, "Merry Christmas!"

Kraglin snorted and lifted his cup, "Cheers."

Gamora looked at Peter. "What was that?"

Peter grinned at her. "It's a big holiday on Terra; the day when people try to be kind to each others, even to those they don't really like or care about, and families gather together to share food and gifts and just spend time with each others while remembering a guy who was born 2,000 years ago to tell people that all would be better if we all were little nicer to those around us", he said while filling his cup and sitting down beside Rocket.

Drax nodded approvingly. "We'd something similar in my planet", he told them, "though it had nothing to do with very old babies. We celebrated the return of the sun by having feast together, and all debts and misdeeds made during previous year were forgiven."

Peter nodded at him. "I think that our Christmas had little similar origins, but it was changed during the way."

Mantis smiled, clearly delighted that Peter's mood had lifted. "I would like to hear more about it."

Peter shrugged. "I think that that was the important point; I mean, there are decorations – colorful garlands and lights, little ornaments, those kinds of things – and the tree, covered with pretty trinkets – all sorts of good food, as much as you can eat, and presents – but they're just additions. All that really matter is that you're with those who you care about, family and friends, to tell and show them just how much you appreciate them."

"I am Groot!" Groot said and waved his little arms excitedly.

"Groot asks when do we celebrate Christmas", Rocket translated, still avoiding to look at Peter.

Gamora smiled at the child. "We can do that, if you want; as long as everyone is okay with that", she added, looking at Peter.

Star-Lord smirked. "Why not? I mean, we might be little off of the days, but who cares? I wasn't sure about the timing even in the first place."

"How should we to proceed?" Kraglin asked.

Peter shrugged. "I don't think it would do us any good to just blindly follow the traditions I can remember from my time on Terra. Let's create our own traditions instead; create decorations on our own, decide the foods…"

Mantis jumped up. "I want to decorate!" she proclaimed, her eyes shining.

"I am Groot!" Groot seconded, stepping on the table and jumping up and down until Rocket grabbed his arm and dragged him back to sit.

"And I think that at least Groot and Mantis should get a present", Peter added hesitantly.

Gamora scoffed. "Of course we'll make sure that _everyone_ gets at least one present", she said.

"Then it's best to agree who makes a present and to whom", Peter agreed, and before he'd time to continue, Rocket said firmly, "I'll make one for Groot, and that's it; and I need no presents, anyways."

"I am Groot", Groot insisted.

"You don't need to", Rocket said, but everybody and their aunt knew that the bad-mouthed thug couldn't really say "no" to their adorable ward.

Finally they got decided who would give a present to whom by picking paperclips with names on them from Star-Lord's helm, and which of them would be on the kitchen duty while others would be putting up decorations.

"Do we need more socks?" Rocket asked. "Those were part of your Christmas thing, weren't they?"

"Well, in some places, children put stockings hanging somewhere for a night and in the morning it's filled with little toys and candies; but we could think other ways, too. Presents can be found under the Christmas tree, or they can be given hand to hand."

"I don't know… I kind of prefer those socks. As long as they won't smell as badly as those you put up earlier…"

"Hey! I told you, those were clean!"

"Whatever you say, Star-Dork…"

* * *

Later that evening, they all sat together drinking hot beverages and watching Groot playing with his new recorder. "I got enough of you complaining all the time of him borrowing yours", Rocket explained grumpily as Peter had asked him about it. The bounty hunter had also glared them all ferociously as Groot had presented his own present – chain of flowers – but he'd thanked their ward and allowed him the place the blasted thing on his head anyways, and if that wasn't a prove of a love, then Peter didn't know one.

Other presents were just as clumsy yet all could understand that they were all well-meaning; Mantis, for example, was gifted with a knife from Drax, who also insisted to teach her how to use a weapon to better protect herself.

Gamora rested her head on Peter's shoulder while admiring the bracelet he'd given to her. It was small and practical, sitting tightly in its place so no-one would be able to catch hold of it during a fight.

"I just now realized", she said quietly.

"What is it?" Peter asked lazily.

"No-one picked your name; you got no presents at all."

"Oh, but I did."

Gamora turned her head to look him in the eyes. "You did?"

Peter looked around in the decorated cockpit of Milano; old cables and cords were hanging like garlands, and Groot had made little bundles of flowers and leaves to hang from the ceiling. Rocket had even made something to the lights, so that they were now slowly changing colors. They'd just enjoyed a meal together, and shared presents, and were all sitting there in peace and quiet.

And in his cabin there was a miniature of the Milano sitting over his desk…

Peter smiled and kissed Gamora's forehead. "Actually… I got many."


End file.
